


1998

by amberesinite



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Jet is just a plot point to get these dorks to realize they're in love, Oh my god they were roommates!, One-Sided Attraction, Pining, are the 90s modern?, asking for a friend, except that they both feel the same but don't know it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:35:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24085978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amberesinite/pseuds/amberesinite
Summary: Zuko's been into Katara since they met in college years ago. When she asks him to share an apartment with her, he tells himself that he can control his feelings and just live together normally like any friends would. But when she starts dating a sleazy guy who seems to be playing her, Zuko isn't quite sure he can keep it together.OrThe ultimate 90s nostalgia Zutara fic that nobody asked for, with more pop culture references than an LFO song.
Relationships: Jet/Katara (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 70





	1998

**Author's Note:**

> Happy week 8??? of quarantine! I apologize for not updating any of my other fics recently, but work has been busy and also I've been writing this, so hopefully it will make up for that :) Also, there is literally zero continuity with the references I’m making, but they’re all from the same year, so just don’t think about it too much. Also also, I don't own any of the things I"m referencing, but If I owned the rights to Gettin' Jiggy Wit It, I would be a happy woman.

The heavy sandstone door shuts behind him with a crash, signaling the finality of his decision. He jumps across a gap, leaving him alone on a small holey island in the middle of a pit of lava. No sooner than he lands, the ground begins to shake violently, and a flaming dragon emerges from the center pit, dancing and screaming. The name ‘Subterranean Lava Dragon Volvagia’ flashes across the screen. He sighs. If what the guidebook says is true, this dragon is about to open up a can of whoop-ass on him.

Zuko finally starts to get the hang of dodging Volvagia’s attacks when an excited squeal from across the living room catches him off guard.

“Oh my god, Zuko, he said yes!!!”

He looks up at Katara who’s grinning stupidly at him from the computer, the incessant binging and clicking of the keyboard finally coming to a halt.

 _Jet_ , Zuko thinks with disdain. The “perfect” son of a law enforcement commander and a college dean, he always had some clever way to get out of trouble. His reputation as a playboy is preceded only by his reputation as a stoner, both of which seem to go unnoticed – or ignored – by his strait-laced parents.

“I’m happy for you,” Zuko smiles at her, trying to hide his grimace.

Katara doesn’t seem to notice as she continues to regale him with the story of how they met, but Zuko isn’t listening. He very clearly remembers _their_ first encounter in undergrad almost six years ago. It was convocation, a ceremony that was supposed to be the beginning of a bright and successful future, but instead, Zuko was glowering at his feet. His father had sent him to a well-respected private university to follow in his footsteps, but Zuko had zero interest in contributing to the corruption within his father’s political sphere. And besides, his uncle had already offered him an under-the-table job at his café.

 _”What are you doing?”_ a girl had asked him with cocked eyebrows and a half smile. Her simple white t-shirt was tied at the front to show off a blue teardrop-shaped belly button ring, just barely visible above the waist of her jeans. An oversized denim jacket and fresh white sneakers completed the look. She was hella gorgeous and _way_ out of his league. Time began to move in slow motion, and she may as well have been a god damn Harvest Moon bachelorette with the way her eyes sparkled as she studied him. She had laughed at his expression and offered her hand as a gesture of goodwill – _”I’m Katara,”_ she had told him, and her name became the spell that bound him to her for the next four years. Every minute they spent together, he found himself even more hopelessly in love.

And now, after years of pining, his dumb ass has agreed to share an apartment with her. He basically signed an agreement to live in a personalized hell of his own making, and he can feel himself slowly going crazy over how much he wants her.

He glances over.

“…and I’ve been reading his weblog, and it’s really interesting! He posts poetry and essays on politics and religion and current events…”

Zuko rolls his eyes. _Oh, great. He’s an ‘intellectual.’_

***

The shuffling of clothing and hangers serves as a cruel reminder of Katara’s date and of Zuko’s inability to take charge of his own life or to at least move on with it. If he stays in the house, he’ll just end up drinking himself into oblivion.

“I’m going to the gym – enjoy your date,” he shouts across the apartment as he begins to lace his sneakers. Katara responds with a muffled groan, which is followed by a creaking door and dragging footsteps.

“Do I look okay…?” she asks dejectedly.

She’s wearing a fitted t-shirt, decorated in stripes of blues and greens with a slight ruffle at the ends of the sleeves. Her knee-length denim skirt features a slit up the back, which shows off her bangin’ thighs, and a pair of white triple decker Keds hangs loosely from her fingers. She looks cute. But then again, she always looks cute.

“You look more than okay, Kat,” he chuckles.

She puffs her cheeks out and crosses her arms in mock annoyance. “You always say that! How do I know you’re not lying?”

“Easy,” he shrugs as he slings his gym back over his shoulder. “You’re always stylin’.”

He doesn’t dare to look back as he walks out the door. If he does, he knows he’ll stare for just a second too long.

***

The smell of old cigarettes and air fresheners weighs heavily in her lungs the moment she opens the glass door. A quick look around reveals a man in beat-up jeans and a forest green flannel shirt sitting at the bar with a half-empty stein. The gentleman next to him points to Katara, and the man in question looks her up and down.

“Damn, you are looking fly!”

Katara isn’t sure if she’s pleased or offended, but she offers him a polite smile as he gets up to pull her into a hug. It’s gentle yet somehow more intimate than she expected. She haughtily decides that ‘looking fly’ is _definitely_ a good thing.

“Can I get you a drink?” he motions to the wall of liquor behind him, illuminated by pink and blue neon lights.

“It’s tempting, but I shouldn’t… I have class in the morning,” she finishes apologetically.

“It’s all good.” Jet pulls out a chair and motions for her to sit. “So what are you going to school for?”

She pauses for a moment. _God, he’s gonna think I’m such a nerd…_ “Uh, well I’m working on getting a PhD in biomedical sciences.”

The confused look he gives her is actually really cute, and she can’t help but giggle.

“My special interest is in medical microbiology and immunology – vaccines and stuff,” she amends when Jet’s face scrunches up. “I’m currently working on a study that could help us understand the length of protection provided by the Lyme vaccine.”

Jet looks even more confused than before when he finally says, “Damn, you must be super smart. Major props.”

***

The front door swings violently into the wall, leaving a tiny dent from the lock. _So much for taking out my anger on grappling dummies…_ Zuko thinks bitterly as he kicks off his beat-up Chucks and tosses his gym bag into the corner of the entryway. _Maybe a hot shower will help me cool off._ He heads straight for the bathroom with no regard for their usually neat apartment as he shucks his clothing, littering the hallway with dirty laundry.

As the near-scalding water spatters over his back and neck, he lets out the breath he’s been holding since he returned. He’s happy for her – he really is! He just doesn’t think Jet is the right kind of person for her. _As if_ you’re _any better…_ he chides as he angrily scrubs his face. _You’ve let so many opportunities pass you by while you waste away sitting on your ass and feeling sorry for yourself._

_Sigh._ Maybe he should have more faith in her ability to judge others… That’s how he and Katara became friends after all. Besides, she can totally take care of herself, and it’s been years since he’s last seen Jet. Maybe he’s changed since college, Zuko hopes, remembering Jet’s “bone list” of all the girls in their economics class that he slept (or planned to sleep) with.

After leaning against the wall basking in its heat for what feels like an eternity, Zuko finally exits the shower feeling only marginally better than he did 30 minutes ago and drags his sweatpants on over his still-wet legs, not caring enough to dry off first. He tries to blow his dripping bangs out of his face as he opens the bathroom door and nearly walks into Katara. She squeaks and jolts upright to avoid crashing into him.

“Oh! Hey, Zuko!”

She’s smiling brightly, a slight flush to her cheeks, and it takes every ounce of control he has to not start a fight – or worse, attempt to act on the last six years of unrequited love that’s been dangerously close to surfacing.

 _Relax, Zuko. Just be a good fucking friend and support her._ He forces the least unbelievable smile he can muster and asks, “So how was your date?”

“It was a lot of fun,” she admits sheepishly, almost like she’s embarrassed that she had a good time. “He’s actually really sweet,” she continues as if she’s trying to convince someone of the fact. “We only ended up bowling one game, because I saw a stuffed seal at the arcade’s prize counter, so then we spent the next couple hours playing arcade games until he had enough tickets to get it for me.”

“What a gentleman.”

Zuko mentally curses himself over how caustic the words sound coming from his mouth and immediately wishes he could reload a metaphorical save file.

“He really is,” she laughs. “You wouldn’t expect it based on his appearance, but he took my hand and kissed it when he dropped me off. It was really cute.”

 _Just say something nice this time_ … “I’m glad you had a good time.”

“I did,” she smiles. “Oh! By the way, I’m supposed to meet Jet at the mall tomorrow after class to meet some of his friends. Do you wanna come with? I’m honestly a little intimidated by the thought of meeting so many new people, and it’d be really nice to have someone around that I feel totally comfortable with.”

“Yeah, I’m down,” Zuko lies.

“Sweet! I can’t wait!”

Katara bounds into her room, glowing with post-date bliss while Zuko sulks back into his, flopping onto his bed and groaning into his pillow.

***

“I’m so excited for you to meet Jet!” Katara proclaims as she squeezes Zuko’s hand and drags him through the mammoth mall entrance. She glances at her watch. “We’re a bit early… Do you want to go get a pretzel?”

“Yeah, that sounds nice,” Zuko smiles and gives her hand a squeeze back.

They walk past a large fountain at the center of the mall, the sun from the massive vaulted skylight causing the pennies at the bottom to twinkle like miniature stars. Their brilliance is challenged by the bright neon lights of KB Toys, where battery-operated dogs bark at the entrance, luring children and adults alike to their pen. Long lines extend beyond the queues of Cinnabon and Orange Julius with shoppers looking for a snack, while “Getting’ Jiggy Wit It” blares from the overhead speakers.

Zuko’s heart thrums in his chest every time Katara grabs his hand to lead him to the next store. He tries to remind himself that they’re here to meet Katara’s new boyfriend, but a part of him selfishly wishes Jet won’t show up. When else would he get another chance to spend the afternoon hand in hand with Katara? Probably never.

They end up in FYE, Katara’s brow thoroughly furrowed as she scrutinizes the back cover of a 98 Degrees album. Zuko glances at the digital clock on the wall, his heart dropping to his stomach when he realizes how long they’ve been browsing.

“Hey, what time is it?” he asks carefully, trying not to sound accusatory.

She blinks at him uncomprehendingly before realization washes over her. “Oh! It’s…” Zuko watches the excitement fade to surprise and then hurt when she realizes the time. “…it’s 3:39,” she finishes softly.

 _Nearly 45 minutes after Jet was supposed to meet them._ Zuko closes his eyes and steadies his breath. When he said he didn’t want Jet to show up, he didn’t actually expect the bastard to stand her up. “Why don’t you give him a call? Maybe he just lost track of the time,” Zuko offers.

He watches as she steps out of the store to make her call, leaning on the railing, pacing past the storefront, redialing… She comes back in looking even more dejected than she had two minutes ago.

“Any luck?”

Katara avoids his gaze and wraps her arms around herself.

“Well… maybe he’s on his way. Come on, let’s go check out Waldenbooks,” he suggests, gently placing his arm around her shoulders and guiding her out of the store.

***

The smell of books is one of Katara’s favorite things. Given the chance, Zuko is certain she would _live_ in a bookstore, which is what makes watching her browse the shelves halfheartedly so… heartbreaking. She checks her phone and sighs heavily – still no response from Jet.

“Hey, Zuko?”

He looks up from the book he was pretending to read, grunting a “hm” in acknowledgement.

“I think I’m ready to go home now,” she smiles weakly.

“Katara—”

“It’s all good, Zuko. Thanks for coming, I had a good time anyway.”

He pulls her head into his shoulder and gives her a quick hug. Her scent overwhelms him with a rush of nostalgia. Jasmine and sandalwood – the same fragrance he wore the day they met. It smells like home.

“Don’t mention it.”

**Author's Note:**

> Anyone else wish it were still 1998?


End file.
